the summer death zone: heat, humidity, and radiant sun

There's nothing you can do, man. Today's run for me had a heat index of 91 but it felt better than yesterday's run (heat index upper 80s and sunny) because it was very overcast. When you combine heat, humidity and the direct sun the run is just going to suck.

I'm in a similar boat to you as my 5k, 15k and 8k PBs were all set with temps around 30 degrees.

Last month was the hottest June on record. This month is on pace to be the hottest July recorded.

It's only going to get worse. I recommend you move north. Sounds like you are old and don't have much time left anyway. Why spend it slogging out 11 minute miles in the South.

Within 50 years we are going to see a reverse of the recent Rust Belt to Sun Belt migration.

I usually only run after work. Today after work it was 93' with a d e w point of 73'.

I took the day off.

Yesterday it was 88' with a dew point of 70 and instead of a 6 mile run I hit the track for 200s. I have to say, I can hack short intervals in the heat much better than an easy 6 mile run.

Why the hell are you running in the hot Sun? Run earlier, or preferably, run at dusk. Problem solved.

malmo is right. Also, I practice drills and sprints in the summer. I can stand around for 3-4 minutes between reps and my muscles are still hot and loose. Plus I can have water and even ice close at hand at all times.

Love running early..

In Phoenix you have to and now with the monsoons, the dew point is in the mid 60's.

I actually always look forward to the summer.

Summer races start at 6:30 and 6:00 would even be better.

malmo wrote:

Why the hell are you running in the hot Sun? Run earlier, or preferably, run at dusk. Problem solved.

You're right. I'm an early morning guy already. (I was up at 5:15 this morning.) I've always trended in that direction in the summer, but you've convinced me I need to push the envelope in that direction. Runs need to start by 5:30 and finish by 7 AM. I've never quite managed to get myself out the door at that hour, but you're right: given what happened yesterday, that's the obvious solution. If I'm still on the roads by 8 AM--i.e., triple witching hour--I'm an idiot.

rexthebexer wrote:

Last month was the hottest June on record. This month is on pace to be the hottest July recorded.

It's only going to get worse. I recommend you move north. Sounds like you are old and don't have much time left anyway. Why spend it slogging out 11 minute miles in the South.

Within 50 years we are going to see a reverse of the recent Rust Belt to Sun Belt migration.

The South is having a mild summer so far.

You guys are complaining about heat indice of 80 something degrees !?

Pussies!!

No sympathy from me.

Here in the South, we're regularly running at 90+ degree temperature with dew point in the mid 70s. And the forecast has heat index of 100+ degrees (afternoon-evening) for this whole week. This is the condition I've been running in lately. It sucks. But thinking about the fitness level I'll be at in a couple of months, it's all worth it.

It does take a couple of weeks for me to get acclimated to this hot+humid weather. Still one thing I don't do is running in the sun. The direct sunlight really makes it unbearable. If you're running bare-chested, don't run in the sun. You'd be better with a layer of light clothes between your skin and the sunlight to shield from the heat.

+1 with what malmo said. I live in NC and grew up in Georgia, so I've been molded by the summer heat. The only wait to beat the heat is to avoid the heat. That means either FINISH (not start) your run by 7:30 am or start your run after 8:00 pm. Running shirtless also greatly helps. The south has another 6 weeks of deathly heat before it moves back into the 80's in September. Usually October brings cooler weather.

KudzuRunner wrote:

malmo wrote:

Why the hell are you running in the hot Sun? Run earlier, or preferably, run at dusk. Problem solved.

You're right. I'm an early morning guy already. (I was up at 5:15 this morning.) I've always trended in that direction in the summer, but you've convinced me I need to push the envelope in that direction. Runs need to start by 5:30 and finish by 7 AM. I've never quite managed to get myself out the door at that hour, but you're right: given what happened yesterday, that's the obvious solution. If I'm still on the roads by 8 AM--i.e., triple witching hour--I'm an idiot.

Kudzu,

I'm in NC and not Mississippi, but you would be shocked how bad the dew points can be here. I couldn't imagine being near the Gulf. We have had multiple days of 73 - 76 dew points in the past week and a half.

I can handle heat (but not humidity) too. FYI - I am a heavy sweater during all times of year. It is like my sweat is completely different in dry heat vs. humidity. In dry heat the sweat rolls off my body but I feel good. In humid conditions I feel like I'm barely moving and my body feels drained constantly. My shorts, socks, and shoes can be wringed out afterward.

I drink constantly at work. I actually get a lot of flack about how much water I consume on a daily basis.

I started wearing a headband this summer during runs that last over 45 min. I literally change it out, along with a new shirt (to carry with me as a towel to dry sweat while running) somewhere around mid-run, as I usually try to pass my house/car mid-run on longer runs. I drink water multiple times during a 75-90 min workout. I even take a bath towel with me to towel-off during intervals if running a loop course for my reps. Running for me usually occurs early in the morning but the humidity makes it seem unbearable. I actually much prefer a 35 min recovery run at 95 degrees at 6pm in the sun than I do a 75 degree, 100% pre-sunrise 60 min run.

About slowing down:

I ran a 17:50 5k on Memorial Day weekend when the weather was warm, but not nearly this tough. Having trained no differently since then and still quite fit, a 75 min run might contain a 5-miler at 7:10-7:15/mile pace, whereas it would have been 6:40 pace a few months ago. Cruise intervals are 6:30+/mile pace whereas they might have been 6:05-6:10/mile a few months ago. I have to keep reminding myself I'm in shape and it is very tough to do.

Malmo,

Early is typically better for everyone but keep in mind that the evenings haven't been much better. The other day at 8:45pm the heat index was 98 and the dew point was 75. That's at almost 9pm right before the sun went down!!!